My daughter is doing 1st and 2nd grade work but still doesn't quite have the concept of time down. She's only 5 so I know she's advanced. I'd like to start teaching her about history but don't know how or where to start. I love the subject, almost majored in it in college, and would love to instill this love in her. Do you think that it's just too soon? Please help! Thanks!

I like to take history chronologically. Then what you teach depends on what you believe. Secular or Biblical. if your daughters already doing 1st and 2nd grade work then I don't see why not, so long as your both enjoying it.
I plan on using a time line to help with the concept of time.

With my first 4 kids, in 1st grade I used the Core Knowledge book (What Your First Grader Needs to Know or whatever it's called) and then also did my own timeline overview of the whole world. But I've finally had a chance to read up more on the Classical Approach this year and I'm thinking I'm probably going to switch to doing from pre-history to about 500 BC in grades 1, 5 and 9; from 500 BC to AD 500 in grades 2, 6 and 10; from AD 500 to 1800 in 3, 7 and 11; and 1800 to the present in 4, 8 and 12. All my kids have done 1st grade when they were 5 and they've had no problem with the stuff we covered in history. My 6-y-o now absolutely loves history and almost always asks to do 2 lessons or more every day. Because she's so interested in it, she can take in and comprehend things that seem quite "old" for her.

I definitely think the key to teaching history to kids is to do it in chronological order and relate everything they study to what else was going on in the world at the same time so they have a good "mental chronology."

I think I'm just going to set up a notebook for her and start choosing things for us to study using the notebooking method. That seems to be what everyone suggests to be a good method for learning about history. I'm also going to use some lapbooks along the way. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Oh, and my favorite way to do history is to go to living history museums. I can't manage the logistics of getting us all out of the house every day, but we try to go once a week. We don't always do a museum, but I try to go to one as often as possible. For no better reason than that way back in public school I was taught local history in 4th grade, every year that I've had a 4th-grader we've concentrated hard on going to all the local history museums once a week in chronological order. That was easier when we lived in the East, but it's even possible in the Rockies. I just love seeing people in costume act out the old ways of life, and occasionally getting a chance to do some little thing myself too. I think my kids enjoy it as well.

We also visit living-history places as a family on weekends and summer vacations, and when we can't get out we try acting out the time period ourselves at home.

One fun way to relate history to a very small child (and the most traditional way) is to emphasize family history. Get pictures of the family, create a family tree, then start collecting information about the time those family members lived in. Stick with living, known family members, then at some point (very quickly!), your child will realize that "Grandpa had a daddy" too - you can continue this game indefinitely to create a vocabulary for your child and help her build a framework for more advanced history concepts.

I will admit I got this idea from my teacher education courses, somewhere, lol. Sometimes actual teachers teach those classes.

We used a state map puzzle and related it to events on the news, to fill in the next piece, political awareness. My youngest son was four when he learned all the states because of this game, and during the 04 election he knew the main differences between Kerry and Bush. Not from our drilling him, but just from listening to us talking, the radio shows (little pitchers have big ears as you know!), and asking questions. PJ did too but that's less impressive in a six year old.

We were also able to talk about the New Orleans flood, about the supply of food, and really got into how things are shipped around the country and around the world. Trade is a huge component of history so I was pleased that they got this so early (though saddened at the circumstances that led up to our discussions).

Vocabulary building is more important than fact memorization at this age, so even though history is my "thing" (did you catch on to that yet?), it's the only major subject we still aren't touching yet in a formal way.

The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child Volumes 1-3 are a great start. You can get activity books to go with them that have plans and fun stuff. There is a volume 4, but its more suitable for an older child as I hear its much about war, war, war. 1-3 is great though and aimed at the young child in story form to read aloud or if your child is a strong reader, she can read on her own. It's not dates and people to memorize, but a foundation of different times and what it may have been like to live then, with a goal of instilling a love of history in the child. Not to have them get the dates and times down...what 5 year old can do that?! My 6 yo is starting Vol 1 now and its great. We use it with Usborne Time Traveller Pyramids and Pharoahs.

Someone above mentioned The Well Trained Mind by Susan Bauer and ?? anyway...she wrote SOTW as well. Vol. 1 starts in ancient times. It's also used in the curriculum plans by www.camroseacademy.com

If your child is only 5 years old and you want to teach her some history, my advise would be, to go to the library and ask the children's librarian to help you find a series of books that are biographies of famous people. Have your child pick out the ones that she likes the best. Make sure you are both excited about reading these books together.
That way, she will see that there are individual people who did big things in life, however, she won't have to feel like you are pushing the idea of the time-line. Everyone has limitations, and they change as a child grows. It's so easy to push our gifted children, I understand that--I struggle with that, too.
Anyway that's just my humble opinion. Read some good history stories together with her. Whatever you do, do it with her, and don't worry about the grade-level thing. That is for schools, not learning at home with your family.